Spring Break Part 2 - Coober Pedy, Quorn, Adelaide

Day 5 - Coober Pedy (29 degrees, sunny)
Today we could sleep in until 6:00 and had breakfast before heading down to Coober Pedy. On our 3 hour journey, we crossed the Northern Territory and South Australian border and slowly saw the landscape change from a steppe with grass and trees to an isolated desert. Actually, that was what we were supposed to see. Usually there is just dust and sand in this region of South Australia, but because they had rain for the past 14 months grass and other plants had started to grow on what used to be desert. Quite unique, as even our tour guide Keith, who has been doing this work for 17 years, had never seen grass there before. Apart from the grass, though, there is not much to see apart from an occasional tire in a tree or road train.


Upon arrival in Coober Pedy we had lunch while Keith explained the background of the town. Coober Pedy is also known as 'The Opal Capital of the World' and is a mining town some 850 kilometres south of Adelaide. Opal was first found in 1915 and since then mining and tourism has grown and provides the community with employment. Coober Pedy has over 70 opal fields and is one of the biggest opal mining areas in the world. Next to opal, Coober Pedy is also known for its cave-houses, or dug-outs, that protect the residents from the heat. Coober Pedy has some 1700 residents, of which around 300 are Indigenous people. While the White people also tried to build cave houses for the Indigenous people, they still live in regular houses or trailers above the ground as 'you only live underground when you're dead'. Our accommodation was an underground hostel, and I have to admit that the temperature was excellent (the photos are not our hostel, don't worry).



We then went to a museum which gave us some more background information about opal and the opportunity to buy opals and then Keith gave us a tour around town. The machines they use are incredible and it is very clear that the machines from Mad Max 3, which was shot in and around Coober Pedy, were clearly based on the ones used by the mining industry. The tour ended at Josephine's Gallery and Kangaroo Orphanage where we could feed rescued kangaroos and got to meet a joey (baby kangaroo). The cutest thing ever!!

Lastly, we drove to the Breakaways, another sacred site for the local Aboriginals, to watch the sun set over the surrounding desert. A stunning view to end the day!


Day 6 - Quorn (25 degrees, sunny)
We again got up at 6:00 to be able to leave at 7:00, however, we had some trouble with the bus. The side door would not open, so we were unable to get in. After some fruitless attempts by Keith, a 'mechanical' guy from Coober Pedy was called to help fix the door. In the meantime, me and two other girls went to get waffles with opals to feel super fancy (don't worry, the gems were just sprinkles). Finally, some two hours later, the bus was fixed and we started a very long, 6-hour drive down to Quorn. Along the way, we stopped at Glendambo, a very tiny town with just 30 inhabitants, and a huge salt lake. We had lunch at Woomera, which was once a military rocket test site and where you can still see the weapons and rockets they used. We continued our drive down through Port Augusta and the Pichi Richi Pass on the border of the Flinders Ranges to arrive at Quorn some 600 kilometres later. Quorn has around 1000 inhabitants and apart from the nature surrounding it and a historical Railway track there is not much to do. So our night consisted of delicious food and wine with good conversations before we headed to our hostel rooms. A very bus(s)y day!


Day 7 - Flinders Ranges and Adelaide (21 degrees, cloudy and sunny)
The last day of our tour... We got up at 6:00 again and after packing everything in the bus we set off to spot rock wallabies (small kangaroos) and kangaroos at Dutchman' s Stern! After spotting those cuties we did a 2 kilometre hike through Warran Gorge. It was quite a steep walk down (and eventually also up), but the gorge was absolutely gorgeous!



After the hike it was time to rest our feet again and to drive the bus even further south for another 333 kilometres to Adelaide. We had lunch at one of the many picnic places along the road (that always have a barbie (barbecue) available for public use) and crossed the wine valleys surrounding Adelaide. In Clare valley we had a lovely wine tasting of 6 white and 7 red wines and one type of beer of which most were delicious (but some were not my type of wine). Tipsy we all (no, not Keith) fell asleep during the last 2 hours to Adelaide. It was then time to say goodbye to a very lovely group when Keith dropped us off at our hotels and hostels, I am very grateful for the people I met along the way, they really made this experience even more unforgettable! An amazing tour with amazing sights and amazing people by my side!

Spring Break Part 1: Field of Light, Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon

Spring break! A perfect opportunity to explore more of this beautiful country. And to see as much as possible, I decide to jump on a plane almost a week before the official start of spring break. Destination: Yulara, in the Southern part of the Northern Territory. Yulara, or Ayers Rock Resort, was formed in response to the increasing tourism around Uluru and Kata Tjuta, to limit the effects of tourism on the surroundings. The resort has hotels, hostels and campgrounds in several different price categories, a grocery store, post office, souvenir shops, swimming pools and several activities about Aboriginal culture.

Day 1 - Yulara (31 degrees, sunny)
My first night I stayed at the Outback Pioneer Lodge, the only hostel at Ayers Rock Resort. There was a free shuttle from the airport, so there was still plenty of time to explore the rest of the resort before night would fall. So I headed to the resort's mini-town while along the way stopping at some nice viewing points to take a first look at both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. After some basic groceries I listened to an Aboriginal man explaining the different weapons they use while hunting and watched an Aboriginal dance show. I completed my circle around the resort and had a dinner with a view on the sunset above Uluru and Kata Tjuta.



With the sun having set, temperatures started dropping and it was time for the Field of Light experience. The Field of Light is an art installation by Bruce Munro that travels the world, but was originally inspired by Uluru. So now the Field of Light is back where it originally started, and it is the largest field to date consisting of more than 50000 frosted-glass light bulbs. The local community calls it Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku, meaning 'looking at lots of beautiful lights'. See for yourself!



Day 2 - Yulara (34 degrees, sunny)
After buying some souvenirs and learning some more about astronomy around Yulara, it was time to get ready for the 6-day tour that would take me from Yulara to Adelaide. So I hopped on the tour bus after lunch and was pleasantly surprised to see a varied group in both backgrounds and age. We soon found out that not everyone was staying the full 6 days, which explained how the 65+ category was able to survive the tour.

It was then time to drive into the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, home to both Uluru and Kata Tjuta, two sacred places for the Anangu, the local Aboriginal community. Each year about 250,000 people visit this isolated park, where the nearest McDonalds (in Alice Springs) is further away than the nearest satellite. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta are known under two different names, respectively Ayers Rock and the Olgas. When the national park was formed in 1958, the park was named Ayers Rock Mt Olga National Park, after the names the Europeans had given the rock formations. It was not until 1985 that the park was given back to the Aboriginal people, who now lease it to Parks Australia to jointly manage the park.

Driving into the park, we were immediately confronted with the dangers of the outback. A car with two Asian guys had crashed and turned upside down after the driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel. These guys were very lucky to be alive and to have been found by someone with experience, as every year lots of people die due to similar accidents. Road signs everywhere try to warn people, but apparently not everyone reads them. Similarly, another danger is running out of fuel. Sometimes, there is no gas station for over 400 kilometres. Gas stations therefore do not advertise their prices so as not to scare away people from fuelling up due to the high costs.


Our first stop was Kata Tjuta, a mountain range that consists of 36 domes and sits 546 metres above the surrounding plains. We walked into one of its gorges to see its beautiful layers of stone and the marks the rain leaves when it falls down the domes. It is a sacred place to the Anangu, as they believe the rocks of Kata Tjuta are home to spirit energy from the 'Dreaming'. It is of particular importance for men and since 1995 is being used again for cultural ceremonies.



We then finished our first day with a stunning sunset over both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Complementary bubbles and snacks made it an unforgettable experience, it is incredible to see the change in colours of the red rock when the sun starts to disappear. After dinner (with kangaroo) we made our way to our tents and dreamed some more about the beautiful things we had seen that day.

Day 3 - Yulara/Kings Canyon (36 degrees, sunny)
Early rise! We woke up at 4:30 to walk the full 10 kilometres around the base of Uluru while seeing the sun rise above the rock. In contrast to the busy sunset platform (and apparently a very busy sunrise platform as well) there were just a handful of other people doing the same walk as we did. And the rest missed something magnificent. Uluru is a 348 meter high rock formation that is around 9,4 kilometres in circumference. Even though temperatures can reach up to 47 degrees, in 1999 there was snow on top of Uluru. This rock is also sacred to the Anangu, and some parts of the walk you are not allowed to take photos in order to preserve the sacredness (just like you cannot take photos inside some temples or churches). Though you are still allowed to climb the rock, this is highly discouraged as it is a big offense towards the Anangu. At several points you can also see some of the rock paintings the Anangu made and it is possible to do part of the walk together with an Aboriginal guide. Unfortunately, the Anangu were unable to do a guided tour with us due to a special ceremony that day.


We then visited the Aboriginal Cultural Centre that is located within the park to see Aboriginal dot art, learn more about the Anangu's culture and to buy some more souvenirs. We had lunch back on the campground and set off for a 4-hour drive to King's Canyon, where we spent the night on an isolated campground. On our way there, our tour guide Keith decided that we needed wood for our campground fire and thus started driving over big logs of wood to crack them into smaller ones. A very innovative and dangerous way to collect fire wood, as we could have stranded in the middle of nowhere. Luckily Keith was experienced and the campfire meant that me and five others were able to sleep in traditional 'swags' that night. Essentially, they are big sleeping bags with a mattress in it that allow you to sleep under the stars. And as there is almost no light pollution in this area, the sky was covered by thousands and thousands of little stars. We could see the milky way and made a wish with every shooting star, and had a very good night of sleep in the middle of the outback!



Day 4 - Kings Canyon/Erldunda (38 degrees, sunny)
Another early morning, this time at 5:00, in order to climb the 6 kilometre Kings Canyon Rim Walk before it would become too hot. Parts of the canyon are again sacred sites to the Aboriginal people, and thus people are discouraged to walk off the track. Nevertheless, we are allowed to climb the Kings Canyon, and thus we started with a steep climb at Heartbreak Hill (or Heart Attack Hill). Luckily for us, both the climbs upwards and downwards have stairs to make the climb easier, payed for by the Japanese after they shot two films at Kings Canyon. Spectacular views awaited us at the top, and everyone, including the elderly amongst us, survived the climb without a heart attack. We then walked along the 100 meters high walls of the canyon, learned about the local plants and animals and how Aboriginal people use them as medicine or food, and finally descended into the Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole with beautiful plants and animals. Crossing to the other side of the gorge we descended further down the canyon walking amongst sandstone domes. An amazing piece of nature!




After the walk we headed back to the campground for some well-deserved burritos as lunch, we packed up our last things and headed down the Erldunda. There more than half of the group left us to go back to Alice Springs, while only 6 of us would finish the tour in Adelaide. We stayed the night at Erldunda, essentially just a campground with gas station at the crossroad between Yulara, Alice Springs and Adelaide, and enjoyed the swimming pool there before sleeping in tents for the last time. Erldunda marked the end of our Red Centre Experience, but we still had loads of fun ahead while driving down to Adelaide (see Part 2 and 3).